קרחה וכתובת קעקע ב

But there are kosher species and non-kosher species. For in truth nature itself is Hashem's providence — Hashem Blessed be He created nature and He governs nature with His will. It follows that nature itself is providence — only this is the secret of free choice ( bechira ): Hashem created nature in the world so that human beings can err, Heaven forfend, as if nature were primary. And when they uproot nature from providence — then they deny the living G-d, Heaven forfend. But if one wishes to choose life in truth: one connects nature to providence, knowing and believing that everything is in His providence alone — even nature itself is governed by His providence. It follows that nature and providence are entirely one: "Hashem is G-d" ( ה' הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים ). Hashem — this is the attribute of compassion, the aspect of providence. Elokim — this is the attribute of justice, the aspect of nature. For Elokim numerically equals hateva (nature). And we must unify them in complete unity — knowing that Hashem is G-d: that nature and providence are entirely one. This is the essential aspect of Israel's eating in holiness — the aspect of "the Tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul" ( צַדִּיק אוֹכֵל לַשֹּבַע נַפְשׁוֹ ) — to connect body and soul together. For through eating the person's vitality is sustained: body and soul connect together, for without eating the soul departs. And body and soul are the aspect of external wisdoms and Torah wisdom — for external wisdom, natural science, is the aspect of body and animality, foolishness, compared to Torah wisdom which is the aspect of soul, the aspect of adam , the aspect of true knowledge. One must subdue the body and matter before the soul — subduing and nullifying natural science before Torah wisdom, connecting everything to the holy Torah. The essential faith is the essential rectification and clarification of all foods: knowing and believing that even nature itself is His providence and He gives life to all, and all comes from Him. Therefore there are kosher and non-kosher species — kosher species are those species we have the power to connect to holiness, to clarify from the living to the human. Non-kosher species are those we have no power to clarify from the living to the human. And even kosher species we can only eat through slaughter — for through this we subdue the animalistic spirit and elevate from beast to human.

Section 2 (Beis — ב)

And therefore slaughter is at the throat — to subdue the evil voices of the natural scientists who are the aspect of the living creature, the aspect of evil beasts. For the voice issues from the throat, in the aspect of "they speak insolence from the throat" ( יְדַבְּרוּ בְצַוָּאר עָתָק ) — these are the natural scientists who speak insolently against Hashem and His anointed and are the aspect of beasts and wild animals. And one subdues their voice and throat through the slaughter knife. Therefore the ritual slaughterer must receive the slaughter knife from the sage of the generation — as our Sages said: the slaughterer must show his knife to the sage. For the wise man in holiness has the power to connect all wills to the root of the will in holiness. Through this he subdues the knowledge of the natural scientists. Through this, fear is generated — the aspect of "He fulfills the will of those who fear Him" ( רְצוֹן יְרֵאָיו יַעֲשֶֹה ). And this fear is the aspect of the double-edged sword, the aspect of malchus , the aspect of the slaughter knife. Therefore one must receive the slaughter knife — which is the double-edged sword, the aspect of fear — in the aspect of "be wary of the sword" ( גּוּרוּ לָכֶם מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב ) — one must receive it from the wise man in holiness. For the essential fear is generated only through the revelation of the will that is revealed through the wise man in holiness: through his connecting all wills to the root of the will. And through this blade — which is the fear generated through the revelation of the will — one subdues the animalistic spirit which is the aspect of natural science.

Section 3 (Gimel — ג)

And therefore fish require no slaughter — for fish are in the aspect of the root of the will ( שֹׁרֶשׁ הָרָצוֹן ), the aspect of eyna p'kicha . Therefore there they require no slaughter — for they are themselves in the aspect of the root of the will from which their vitality comes. For the waters cover fish — which is the aspect of the waters of knowledge, the aspect of providence, the essential da'as — and the evil eye has no power over them: that is, the views of the natural scientists who are the aspect of the evil eye. For "eyes" is an expression for wisdom, as it is written: "the eyes of them both were opened" — and Rashi explained: for the name of wisdom it is said. And the evil eye is the aspect of evil views — the bad wisdoms of the natural scientists — and they have no power over the fish in the sea whose vitality comes from the root of the will. For the waters of knowledge which are the aspect of providence cover them. And therefore the seed of Yosef was blessed with the verse "and let them multiply like fish" — for Yosef is the aspect of the elder of holiness, the aspect of the root of the will which is the thirteen attributes of the beard ( yud-gimel tikkunay dikna ), as is known — all of which depends on guarding the covenant. Therefore it is said of Yosef: "for he was the son of his old age" — for since he guarded his covenant, he therefore merited even in his youth, when he was seventeen years old, to be called "son of old age." For he was in the aspect of the elder who is the aspect of the root of the will, the aspect of the forehead of the will.

Section 4 (Dalet — ד)

And therefore fish being gathered purifies them. This is the aspect of holy will, the aspect of "when He gathers to Himself his spirit and breath" ( רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף ) — which is the aspect of the passing of the Tzaddikim, of whom it is said geviya and asifa (gathering), who connect their soul, spirit, and divine soul at the time of passing to the root of the will. This is the aspect of the passing of Moshe etc. That is: fish return to their root immediately upon leaving the water — which is the aspect of the root of the will from which their vitality comes. Therefore they require no slaughter at all, for the aspect of evil beasts etc. has no grip on them — they are in the aspect of the root of the will. Yet even so, there are kosher and non-kosher fish — for opposite the root of the will, the forehead of the will, there is the aspect of the forehead of the serpent. This is the aspect of non-kosher fish opposite kosher fish: kosher fish are the aspect of eyna p'kicha , the root of the holy will; non-kosher fish are opposite them in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent which is opposite the forehead of the will. And the sign of kosher fish is scales — this is the aspect of the power of charity one receives: through this the forehead of the serpent is subdued and has no power to overpower against the forehead of the will. For the garment of scales is drawn from the aspect of charity, in the aspect of "a coat of mail of scales is his garment" — and this is the aspect of charity: "justice I have put on and it has clothed me" ( צֶדֶק לָבַשְׁתִּי וַיִּלְבָּשֵׁנִי ), the aspect of "he put on righteousness like armor" ( וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן ). The scales protect the fish so that the forehead of the serpent has no grip on them — for scales are the aspect of charity which subdues the forehead of the serpent. And this is the aspect of "cast your bread upon the face of the waters" ( שַׁלַּח לַחְמְךָ עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם ) — said regarding charity. "Upon the face of the waters" specifically — for there, in the waters, in the fish that are in the water, there one finds the power of charity: protecting the fish which are in the aspect of the forehead of the will — protecting them through the garment of scales from the forehead of the serpent.